Numerous histories and studies of the Great Swabian Migration of the 18th century have been written and published, and the tragic fate of many of their descendants in our own time has also been chronicled.Most of these are available in languages other than English. Much of that research forms the backdrop of “Children of the Danube”, which is the author’s attempt at telling the stories behind the history.Personal stories that weave the tapestry of the lives of his extended family with those of the other families and individuals who joined them after venturing down the majestic, sometimes turbulent, Danube River, taking them on a quest that is common to all people: the search for the Promised Land.

That is what they sought in the devastated Kingdom of Hungary, recently liberated after an oppressive one hundred and fifty year occupation by the Turks. Leaving the DanubeRiver behind them, they would be confronted by a wilderness, disease ridden swamps, dense forests, isolation, primitive living conditions, marauders and brigands.They would find themselves at the mercy of greedy landowners and rapacious nobles, and would have to endure the final onslaught of the Counter Reformation in their pursuit of religious freedom.This is what awaited them, in responding to the invitation of the Hapsburg Emperor Charles VI.It was hardly what the handbills circulating throughout south western Germany had promised.

How they would respond, who they would become as a result of it, and what sustained and formed them into the “Children of the Danube”, as a distinctive and unique people among the Danube Swabians will unfold, in the telling of their tragic and yet heroic story.

One Response to “ Children of the Danube ”

I have just finsihed reading your first book ~ Children of the Danube ~ well, to tell the truth this experience was more like ‘living through’ the book, page by page, thorugh the smiles and sorrows, the love shines through. I simply could not tear myself away or put the book down until I reached the last sentence with a sigh. How can anyone ever thank you enough for writing such an insightful and amazing narrative. Thanks to your valiant efforts to ‘remember to tell the children’, I have gained a much deeper understanding of my own family’s background and their amazing history.
Thank you
Anita Pare